The Los Angeles Lakers are currently gearing up for the start of the 2026-27 season, slated for Wednesday evening at home vs the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers will be led this year by Luka Doncic, who recently took out a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times to address Lakers fans and reiterate the team's goals for a championship this year.

Now, ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst has shared his thoughts on that decision.

“The problem is that when you say, ‘I'm not gonna take a night off,' are you going to take possessions off because you're complaining to the officials?” said Windhorst, per NBA Courtside on X, formerly Twitter.

Doncic has indeed become known for his frequent complaints to the referees over the years, dating back to his days with the Dallas Mavericks. While NBA players complaining isn't exactly a rare phenomenon, Doncic takes the antics to an extreme, often sacrificing getting back on defense or staying locked in mentally so he can get an extra word in with the refs.

Of course, that doesn't stop him from being one of the best players in the game today, routinely averaging north of 30 points and figuring to be an MVP candidate once again this year. However, in order to unlock the best version of himself, Doncic would likely have to abandon or at least heavily cut down on the complaining and get back on defense more often.

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Most pundits don't seem to view the Lakers in the same championship contender space as Doncic does, but stranger things have happened.

Los Angeles is slated to kick off its season on Wednesday against the Warriors at 10:00 pm ET at home.